Below are some of the findings we found interesting and valuable and which can be of as much help to you, as they would be to us in the future.

Exploring Indian Factories

Living in a place like London can be wonderful – and limiting too if we let it. We are so used to our ways, where everything is at the tip of our fingers, that we can easily be fooled that anything can be achieved from the comfort of one's desktop.

But every so often an opportunity knocks and tempts us away from safety to the unknown.

This is how it felt recently when Team Fashion Insiders decided to board a plane, swap continents and land in India – for a week packed with exploring a new market, forging new contacts, connections, and absorbing new experiences and lessons.

Had we just sat in the office we would not have had the opportunity to get a better understanding of one of the most vast markets and major suppliers of the fashion industry.

Personal Relationships and Human Connection

Though we hear often...

Making a choice between fast fashion vs the slow fashion movement may seem like an obvious choice, yet it is not an easy choice for many to make. One has moral implications while the other is more practical and economical. So what is it to be?

In this consumer- and trend-driven era of valueless clothes, you’re now able to change your outfit up to three times a day, should you so desire. The trend for cheaply-produced, throwaway fashion can be traced back to the early noughties when Philip Green bought the Arcadia group for a cool £850m. In 2005 his jewel in the crown, Topshop, accounted for £1bn of UK clothing sales by the first six months of that year. With the entire clothing market only worth £7bn, Green was onto a winning streak with his 14% stake in the market!

Green's ability to deliver “Fast Fashion” - cheaply-made clothing based on designer fashion trends that are produced very quickly in small quantities - peaked the interest of his competitors. They were determined to em...

With Brexit looming over us and the louder and louder voiced opinions and encouragements to keep as much as possible "Made in Britain", Moni Omotoso takes a look at what that means to us really, and how easy is it to make it here or keep it here when the economic landscape as we know it is about to change.

What does the “Made in Britain” label suggest these days?

To me, it conjures up images of a cottage industry of knitwear lovingly made by hand in the Scottish Highlands, bespoke, traditional tailoring on Saville Row or shoes welted by hand in factories in Northampton.

In fact, the shoe making industry was more than a cottage industry in Britain. With 80 factories, producing more than 20 million pairs of shoes a year in the 1950s, I’d say that was big business. According to Eric Musgrave of the UKFTA, 'The UK is one of the best sources of fine clothing in the world. Its inherent quality equates to good value - a fact that is often better appreciated abroad, where the 'Made in Brita...

It wasn't until recently that fashion brands reached their clients via the retail shops, which in turn operated a well-established wholesale business model. But over the last couple of decades, as online shopping has steadily increased at a fast and furious pace, and countless boutiques closed their doors and larger department stores sales suffered - many wonders what is the future of fashion wholesale?

I love the shopping experience. Good retailers, such as Selfridges, provide brand validation and status, so my first port of call is always the Selfridges handbag department. On my way into the store, I’ll spend an hour caressing the Anya Hindmarch, M2Malettier and Sophie Hulme designs. On my way out I repeat the exercise, albeit with a couple of other designers goods.

Customers like to feel the quality of more expensive products and also love the brand experience. Retail allows you to immerse yourself in your favourite designers ‘live moodboard’ and to be a part of their world. Whil...

Fashion manufacturing locally is not a new concept. It has been done by brands large and small for as long as manufacturing has existed. But with advances in technology that helped make the world more reachable, many have tried their fortunes far afield hoping to improve prices, lead times or quality. Fashion Insiders platform member London Contour Experts examines why local manufacturing is still relevant in today's day and age and how it can benefit fashion brands.

With the ‘Made in Britain’ stamp being valued as an assurance of quality, creativity and ethics, more businesses are realizing the opportunity of keeping their operations close to home.

As a luxury product development and sampling business based in London, we specialise in stretch based bodywear; lingerie, swim, activewear and lounge. With a highly experienced in-house technical team we are able to take a product from concept to completion with the timeliness that is seldom possible abroad. Being a design-led fashion bus...

The fashion industry is the second most pollutant industry in the world. Now, more than ever, we should be thinking about sustainability. But what is sustainable fashion? And is fashion sustainable?

Is it ecological, is it ethical or is it green?

There are so many definitive buzz words being used in the press that it’s hard not to be confused.

The reality we now, depressingly, find ourselves in, is a situation predicted by Carlo Petrini (founder of the Slow Food Movement). In 1985 he asked a simple question:

“How did we end up in an era when we have to define and certify things that should be normal?”  

To understand the definition of sustainable fashion, we should define the Fast Fashion model to illustrate the differences between the two.

Fast Fashion raised its ugly head towards the latter part of the previous century. It coincided with the rise of the internet as a gateway to consumer consumption. The ready availability of all manner of products online gave rise to a fierc...

Fast fashion vs sustainable fashion are two consumer and lifestyle choices that have polarised the industry of late and created a blame culture of sorts. Regardless of whether they can co-exist, the need to be more responsible and caring towards the environment is clear. Small steps starting with more responsible material choices at the start of the creative process is certainly a way forward. 

Fashion is socially, economically and environmentally important industry and a form of expression. As per 2014 data, the fashion apparel industry is valued at 3 trillion dollars accounting for 2% of the world’s GDP and employs 57.8 million people. Though the fashion industry contributes significantly to the GDP, it is the second highest polluter after oil industry. About 25% of the world’s chemicals are used for textile production.

The fashion industry needs to transform in terms of changing consumer’s relationship with the garment and taming excessive consumption. Fast fashion has phenomenall...

If you are a denim-wearing eco-warrior then perhaps you are more fashion and less eco-conscious! For wearing denim that has been mass produced by fast fashion companies is perhaps akin to eating meat if you are vegetarian. Not the done thing in short. Read below and get the basics of why the current denim manufacturing has a negative environmental impact.

Adorning yourself in denim goods will never go out of fashion. Jeans have formed the basis of every man’s wardrobe since the 20^th century and their popularity will, no doubt, continue far into the 21^st century and beyond. As a popular product, its manufacture can safely fall into the ‘fast fashion’ segment of the fashion business. As with all clothing that is produced ‘fast’ the detrimental effects on the environment are something to consider should you be a slow fashion aficionado and hope to produce a denim collection. It was a little-known fact, prior to 2014, that the manufacture of denim products had such an unfavourable effect ...

Ever wondered how to make a handbag? Or a dress? While most people will never wonder this, many do. Every day newcomers enter the fashion industry. While they may bring new ideas and enthusiasm, their lack of knowledge of how the industry works, development and sourcing know-how and process often leaves them exhausted and with depleted funds.

Welcome to the world of entrepreneur-ism where the streets are sometimes paved with gold for the lucky few who make it to the finishing line. There is no magic formula for success in business but on a positive note, you can help yourself by having a clear vision and defining your perfect customer.

On a less positive note, the reality of running a fashion business which includes late nights, stress, chasing the fashion editor carrot with no pay for the first couple of years, is not for the faint-hearted.

The actual designing is secondary to your ability to manage your business which includes the people, processes and finances. There is a vast am...

Brands with any integrity have been thinking of ways to build their businesses with a sustainable advantage for a while now.

Below are some Eco-friendly practices that you, as a business can do to contribute your share of sustainability in the fashion industry.

With planet earth being pushed to the limit and recent headlines predicting that a 2C rise in temperatures could set off an uncontrollable chain of events within five decades, everyone needs to do their bit.

No one is more aware of the urgency than millennial students at fashion colleges. Many of them have been developing their work on an eco-friendly ethos.

However, once these students graduate one can only hope that their fledgling businesses are set up in such a way that helps reduce their carbon footprint. Travelling on a path towards greater sustainable practices means analysing the environmental impact of your company and your suppliers.

Here are the 7 Eco-friendly practices for your fashion business:

1. Studio

Sett...